Too Long, Too Late
by diamondxrain
Summary: Sasuke's back, and no one's paticularly happy with him.  Tsunade's just plain furious, Naruto's cold and distant, and Ino's depressed.  Wait, where's Sakura?  [Sasusaku] Rated for suicide.


**Disclaimer: I own nothing but this laptop and plot.**

_This indicates a flashback._

_'This indicates something written.'_

'This indicates thoughts.'

"This indicates speech."

This indicates normal type.

* * *

**Too Long, Too Late**

**...1 week earlier...**

_Haruno Sakura marched over to the wooden desk in her small apartment. It was covered with numerous papers and various medical textbooks, just like the rest of her room. Sakura just knocked them all off with a single sweep of her arm without looking down._

_It wasn't like they mattered anymore. Nothing mattered anymore._

_Reaching into the desk drawer, she pulled out a Konoha headband. It was just like hers, except for one small detail: the long scratch in the center. Naruto had brought it back almost three years ago. _

_For exactly three years ago, Sasuke had betrayed Konoha for 'power.' Exactly three years ago, Sasuke had left Sakura lying on a bench after she spilled her heart for him. Now, Orochimaru was dead, but Sasuke was still gone, and Sakura's heart was still broken, no matter how hard she tried to hide it._

_She tried to prove herself, becoming a medic-nin, training under Tsunade, but it still hadn't helped to bring Sasuke back. He was gone forever, and he wasn't coming back, especially not for her. Her heart was gone, shattered, and the pieces would never be recovered. She could only gaze longingly at his headband, the last keepsake she would ever have, the only one she would ever need._

_Sakura reached into the top drawer and pulled out a paper and pen. She addressed the top and began to write._

_'Sasuke-kun.'_

_'Sasuke-kun, did you ever realize how much I missed you? Or did you just want to see me in anguish, down on my knees. After you left, I cried myself to sleep every single night until all my tears were gone, and nothing was left except for emptiness. All you could ever do was brush me away, call me annoying, and stroll away.'_

_A single tear splashed against the surface of the headband._

_'I offered you my heart, but you destroyed it a thousand times over. Now it's gone, and I feel dead inside. I want to hate you with every fiber of my being, but I can't. I still love you, even if my heart is destroyed.'_

_More silvery teardrops fall and slide off the headband onto the paper._

_'Thanks to you, I can feel nothing but heartache, and pretty soon, that'll be gone too. I'll make sure of it.'_

_Sakura knelt down and pulled out an ebony kunai from the bottom drawer of the desk._

_'You left me knocked out on a bench, but not before you thanked me. I've lain awake for many nights wondering what you thanked me for, but I guess I'll never know. I wanted to think you thanked me for always being at your side, but now I'm too old too believe in fantasies and dreams. You probably just wanted to thank me for being too weak to stop you.'_

_Well, now he wouldn't need to thank her._

_'I tried to help the best I could. I became a medic-nin, and one of the strongest in Konoha. Now, I can even spar against Tsunade without fear. Maybe I could even rival you, but you'll never give me that chance.'_

_Sakura pushed the damp pink hair out of her face and began to write her last paragraph._

_'You left me heartbroken for the rest of my life, so maybe as my life ends, so will my suffering. Maybe my suffering will be passed onto you if you ever end up reading this letter. It's my last dream, my last wish for you to live in misery and regret as my life ends. Of course, you might just shrug it off, and my attempts will have been in vain, but I won't care. The dead have no need for love.'_

_A last teardrop hit the letter._

_'Farewell, Sasuke-kun. I love you.'_

_Sakura picked up the kunai with a trembling hand. She placed over her heart and applied as much pressure as possible with her newly found strength. A searing pain rippled through her body. As both her breaths and heartbeat dulled, she gripped Sasuke's headband tight as she took one last look at it._

_Then, only darkness took over._

/\+

The village was still mourning the death of Haruno Sakura, but things slowly began to pick up pace as normal. Her grave was still visited every day by many, especially a number of the village's teenaged Genin, plus the Hokage herself, Jiraiya, and Kakashi. The mourned the loss of a friend and student, but didn't blame her in the slightest.

They all seemed to blame Sasuke for what happened, but secretly, they all put the blame on their own shoulders. They couldn't help but to think back and wonder if they could have stopped any of it. They had just seen the signs too late.

As for those who didn't know Sakura, life began to resume as usual. Worthless paperwork was always being signed, missions still took place, and Konoha's gates were still heavily guarded.

This is the reason the two guards on duty saw the dark figure limp into the clearing in front of Konoha. Upon reaching the gates, the figure collapsed.

The two guards sprinted to the entrance and hoisted the man up. Shock crossed their faces as they saw who had finally returned to Konoha.

"It's Uchiha Sasuke!"

/\+

Sasuke woke up an hour later in a clean white hospital bed. His wounds were dressed and his injuries healed. A single nurse stood in the room, studying his chart.

"Oh, you're awake?" she said in a quiet voice. "If you're feeling up to it, the Hokage would like to have a word with you."

Without giving Sasuke a chance to respond, she briskly walked out of the hospital room.

Several minutes later, Sasuke could hear the clicking of Tsunade's heels on the hospital floor. He hoped she'd go easy on him and let him go soon. He needed to speak with his old teammates as soon as possible.

"So, Uchiha Sasuke, I see you finally came back to us. Am I right?"

"Yes."

"My only question is why?"

Sasuke could hear the anger seeping off her voice. He could tell she was trying to keep her temper in check.

"Orochimaru's dead, along with my old team Hebi from a recent ambush by Akatsuki. My brother will be heading this way to capture Naruto. Besides, am I not allowed to see my old friends?

"Not when you've tried to kill them, you're not. Not when you've broken their hearts and minds with your lies and betrayal. You think coming back can make it all right again?!"

Whoa, was she mad now. Tsunade took another step forward and the floorboard cracked in two.

Suddenly, the Godaime stopped in her tracks.

"You know," she began in a fake sweet voice. "If you want to see Naruto, he's probably devouring ramen. He can explain everything to you, if he doesn't kill you first. You might want to watch out for Lee or anyone else for that matter.

"Wait, what? Where's Sakura, why are you just letting me go, and why the heck do I need to watch out for Lee?!"

"You'd better hurry up, NOW!"

Her last word made the whole room shake. Sasuke decided to take her advice and find Naruto. It was either that, or be pummeled by Tsunade. He'd rather take his chances with Naruto and the rest of Konoha.

All that was left to do for the once great Uchiha was to stroll on down to the ramen shop. He wasn't oblivious to all the dirty looks people shot at him. It was only to be expected, after all.

As he reached the ramen shop, he spotted the familiar obnoxious blob of orange that was Naruto. However, Naruto wasn't digging his face in as ordinary. In fact, the blonde was eating his ramen rather slowly and was slouched over the counter.

"Dobe?" Sasuke asked.

"Teme, is that you? What are you doing here? Just trying to bring us even more pain, I bet."

"Naruto, what's going on? It's been three years already. Why isn't everyone already over this by now?"

"We were over you, more or less. We tried to get you back because you were our friend, but at least you didn't destroy us!"

Naruto's eyes were clouded with hate, but he truly was glad to see his old rival, his old friend. That still didn't mean Sasuke was forgiven.

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you want your headband back or not?

"What?"

"You heard what I said. I'm going to show you where your headband is. Maybe you'll get to meet some more people you hurt, Sasuke-teme."

"Hn."

Sasuke ended up following Naruto through the winding streets of Konoha. Naruto told him about all of Konoha's residents. Apparently, Kakashi was returning from a mission today, Lee made a full recovery, and Neji and Tenten became an item. However, the only person Naruto avoided talking about was Sakura.

"Naruto?"

"Yes?"

"Where's Sakura?"

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks.

"Why should you care?"

"What's the big deal? I just want to talk to her."

"It's a little late for that now."

Sasuke was just about to object when Shikamaru walked in front of then.

"So it's true then," he affirmed. "You have come back, haven't you? Maybe that'll finally stop Ino from crying. Of course, she'll probably just start punching you anyway."

He rubbed his right shoulder as if to demonstrate what Ino's punch could do.

"Nara, I have no idea what you're talking about," the prestigious Uchiha replied.

"Don't give me that. It's your entire fault anyway."

"You people are really getting on my nerves. Oh, by the way, have you seen Sakura? No one will tell me anything about her, and I figured you or Ino might know."

"You're sick, Uchiha," Shikamaru replied before jumping back up into the treetops.

"Dobe, what's going on?"

"Sasuke, do you really want to see Sakura?"

"I thought we've already discussed that. Yes, I need to tell her something."

"Fine. Come with me, but don't say I didn't warn you."

A lump of fear grew in Sasuke's throat. For once, he didn't seem to know what to make of the situation. What was wrong with Sakura? He could only hope she wouldn't go completely fangirl on him again.

After a few more minutes, Sasuke realized they were going the wrong way. They were headed not towards Sakura's house, but the old cemetery.

"Baka. We're going to Sakura's house, right? This is the graveyard path."

"I know."

Sakura was at the graveyard? This made no sense.

"See the new grave under those Sakura trees?"

"Yes, but I don't see what this has to do with anything."

"And you say I'm the dumb one. Just put two and two together Sasuke. Come here and read the inscription."

_'Haruno Sakura_

_Kunoichi_

_Student_

_Friend_

_Life taken by her own hand_

_But her hand was commanded my another_

_She killed her body_

_Not her spirit_

_For it lives on'_

"W...What are you saying?"

"Sasuke, Sakura's dead."

"You were a week too late."

"So what is that?"

Sasuke was pointing at the ground in front of the gravestone. A small, folded letter lay there with his name on the front.

"The letter's for you. You were the one who truly killed her after all."

"What do you mean?"

"When you left, you killed her. Here, take the letter. It's yours."

With shaking hands, the once stoic Uchiha unfolded the letter and read its contents. The paper fell from his hands, gliding on the air until it fell to the ground.

"She killed herself... for me?"

"Yes. Does that make you proud, Teme? The girl who loved you killed herself because you did nothing but break her heart. At least you'll never find her annoying again."

Poison was laced within Naruto's stinging words.

"I didn't mean it."

Sasuke's mind was racing, thinking this was just some mistake, searching for a loophole. Sakura would pop out from behind the gravestone, hug him, and Naruto would laugh at him for making such a fool of himself.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have said it. She's gone Sasuke. And it's entirely your fault."

"No, your wrong."

"What?"

"It's not my fault. I didn't kill her!" Sasuke shouted.

"Yes you did, Sasuke. Now face the consequences."

Naruto's face began to change, distorting itself. He saw Orochimaru, and then his brother.

"No, get away from me! Sakura's not dead!

Sasuke jolted awake with a start.

'Was it all just a dream?'

Then, he took note of his surroundings.

He was back in the Uchiha manor. His left arm was bandaged and somehow his Sharingan had activated in his sleep. A picture of the old Team 7 lay to his left.

In front of it was Sakura's suicide letter.

'So it wasn't just a dream. She's gone forever. And it's my fault.'

Sasuke got up from his bed, changed, and walked outside. It was a warm spring morning. The sun was shining and flowers were in bloom. Too bad he was too depressed to enjoy such a pretty day.

Sasuke continued to walk through the streets of Konoha. He was still getting dirty stares from people wherever he walked. He escaped them and entered a shop on the street.

"Hello Ino."

There was no reply.

"I would like to buy a bouquet of ambrosia please."

"Interesting choice."

"You told me the flower's meaning back when we were kids. I just never thought I'd ever buy them, at least not for her under this... circumstance."

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Yes, Ino?"

"Thank you."

Sasuke left the shop without another word. He was surprised Ino hadn't killed him on the spot. She was Sakura's best friend, after all. At least he'd make up for it. Maybe then everyone else still wouldn't hate him. At least he knew had Naruto had felt as a kid.

At Sakura's grave, the Sakura trees swayed in the breeze, sending down a flurry of soft pink petals down onto the headstone. Sasuke crouched down on his knees and laid down the beautiful ambrosia bouquet.

"Sakura, I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"I knew I broke your heart. I knew you still hated me. I just thought... I thought you'd heal. I never would have guessed you'd stoop to this level. You were always too strong for that."

"I know this doesn't sound like me, but I really do miss you. The first face I wanted to see when I came back was yours. After I killed Orochimaru, and Akatsuki killed the rest of my team, I thought at least you'd accept me. But I was wrong. I'd never been more wrong."

"Remember how I thanked you, just before I knocked you out? I wanted to thank you for supporting me. You weren't annoying, you never were. You were fun to be around. I loved to hear you laugh, but I guess I never let that show. I had no room for emotions then. Now, I regret that. I regret everything I've done to hurt you. I hope you forgave me, right at the end. Maybe I'll see you again, someday. I hope so."

"You know I won't be able to say it aloud. Even if no one's watching me. I guessed I always cared for you. I stepped in to save you on our first real mission. You stopped me from killing the two Sound members. You even tried to stop me from leaving. I always knew you cared about me, loved me even. I guess you'll never know I cared about you too."

A wind swept by, encircling Sasuke. To him, it sounded like it was saying, "Sasuke, I forgive you."

'Thank you Sakura.'

"Before I go, you being Ino's best friend and all, I wonder if you know any flower meanings. Ambrosia shows a love returned. Just thought you should know," Sasuke added before turning away, a genuine smile resting on his lips.

* * *

Hope you liked it. Yeah, it was kind of cheesy and rushed in some places, but I thought it was cute. Sasuke's kind of OOC too, but I figured Sakura committing suicide would at least do something to affect him. 


End file.
